Engineer salary and education: what each kind of engineer earns and needs.
“Engineer” is a family of jobs, not one occupation. Here is what each one pays, how many people do it, the education BLS lists to start, and where it is heading, from U.S. government data.
$108,620
Median annual wage, May 2025, 1,800,740 employed.
Engineers in the United States earned a median annual wage of $108,620 in May 2025, according to BLS. Across the 18 occupations on this page, medians ran from $98,590 (agricultural engineers) to $161,740 (computer hardware engineers). BLS lists a bachelor's degree as the typical entry-level education for each of them.
Engineers at a glance
BLS counted 1,800,740 engineers employed in the United States in May 2025.
Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025
Civil Engineers are the largest occupation on this page, with 367,840 employed and a median annual wage of $100,840 in May 2025 (BLS).
Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025
Among the occupations on this page, computer hardware engineers had the highest median annual wage in May 2025: $161,740 (BLS).
Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025
BLS projects employment of industrial engineers to grow 12.4% from 2025 to 2035, the fastest projected change among the occupations on this page.
Source: BLS Employment Projections, 2025–35
What each kind of engineer earns
Data One row per BLS occupation, sorted by median annual pay. Hourly pay is shown only where BLS publishes it.
| Occupation (BLS title) | Median annual pay | Median hourly | Employed | Typical entry-level education | Projected change 2025–35 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Computer Hardware Engineers | $161,740 | $77.76 | 76,660 | Bachelor's degree | +9.1% |
| Petroleum Engineers | $144,910 | $69.67 | 18,060 | Bachelor's degree | +2.0% |
| Aerospace Engineers | $134,960 | $64.89 | 67,710 | Bachelor's degree | +8.3% |
| Nuclear Engineers | $133,970 | $64.41 | 15,280 | Bachelor's degree | +0.4% |
| Electronics Engineers, Except Computer | $130,220 | $62.60 | 96,900 | Bachelor's degree | +3.7% |
| Chemical Engineers | $125,040 | $60.12 | 21,070 | Bachelor's degree | +4.7% |
| Engineers, All Other | $122,930 | $59.10 | 154,070 | Bachelor's degree | +3.7% |
| Electrical Engineers | $120,630 | $58.00 | 198,750 | Bachelor's degree | +9.9% |
| Health and Safety Engineers, Except Mining Safety Engineers and Inspectors | $115,160 | $55.36 | 21,450 | Bachelor's degree | +5.4% |
| Materials Engineers | $112,860 | $54.26 | 22,770 | Bachelor's degree | +7.5% |
| Marine Engineers and Naval Architects | $112,230 | $53.96 | 8,250 | Bachelor's degree | +6.7% |
| Bioengineers and Biomedical Engineers | $109,370 | $52.58 | 23,480 | Bachelor's degree | +7.6% |
| Environmental Engineers | $107,110 | $51.50 | 38,340 | Bachelor's degree | +6.3% |
| Mining and Geological Engineers, Including Mining Safety Engineers | $106,220 | $51.07 | 6,080 | Bachelor's degree | +3.8% |
| Mechanical Engineers | $104,110 | $50.05 | 296,810 | Bachelor's degree | +11.2% |
| Industrial Engineers | $102,440 | $49.25 | 365,740 | Bachelor's degree | +12.4% |
| Civil Engineers | $100,840 | $48.48 | 367,840 | Bachelor's degree | +6.4% |
| Agricultural Engineers | $98,590 | $47.40 | 1,480 | Bachelor's degree | +6.9% |
Data Outside the group: Software Developers earned a median of $135,980 in May 2025 (1,687,890 employed; BLS typical entry-level education: a bachelor's degree).
What education do you need to be an engineer?
Data BLS typical entry-level education by occupation, 2025–35 projections. Typical, not a legal requirement; licensing rules vary by state, so check your state's licensing board.
- Bachelor's degreeComputer Hardware Engineers; Petroleum Engineers; Aerospace Engineers; Nuclear Engineers; Electronics Engineers; Chemical Engineers; Engineers, All Other; Electrical Engineers; Health and Safety Engineers; Materials Engineers; Marine Engineers and Naval Architects; Bioengineers and Biomedical Engineers; Environmental Engineers; Mining and Geological Engineers, Including Mining Safety Engineers; Mechanical Engineers; Industrial Engineers; Civil Engineers; Agricultural Engineers
How this page is built
Pay and employment are BLS OEWS national estimates for May 2025, for each BLS detailed occupation listed. The family figure is the BLS Engineers group (17-2000), as published by BLS, not a TryHired calculation. Typical entry-level education and projected change are from BLS Employment Projections 2025–35. Which occupations count is a TryHired editorial choice, listed below.
Which occupations this page counts. Counted: every occupation in the BLS Engineers group (17-2000), including “engineers, all other”. Software developers, often called software engineers, are a computer occupation outside this group and are shown separately below the table.
- Pay at a specific employer, union contract or school district.
- Licensing or certification rules in your state.
- Which of these careers suits you personally.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 estimates (public domain).
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections, 2025–35 (public domain): typical entry-level education and projected employment change.